Unstructured data access control

ABSTRACT

A method for protecting individual data elements within an unstructured dataset includes identifying a data element within the unstructured dataset requiring access control, encrypting the data element within the unstructured dataset, storing a decryption key and access control information corresponding to the dataset at an access controller, and cryptographically binding the encrypted data element to metadata that identifies the access controller. The method may additionally include detecting an access attempt to the dataset, and determining whether the access attempt is acceptable according to the access control information. If the access attempt is acceptable, the method may further include allowing the access attempt. If the access attempt is not acceptable, the method may further include denying the access attempt.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of informationsecurity & privacy, and more specifically to protecting individual dataelements.

With the advent of exponential e-commerce growth, there is a tremendousgrowth in the collection of unstructured data across the enterprises.Enterprises have developed methods for protecting data in a structuredformat using encryption at data-at-rest and in-transit. While structureddata is stored in a data store with required encryptions and monitoring,unstructured data is protected at dataset level. Many cloud providersuse a cloud-based storage called Cloud Object Store, or COS. COSelements are unstructured data elements such as images, text files,configuration files, and the like. According to some projections, asmuch as 80% of worldwide data may be unstructured by 2025. Emailmessages, word processing documents, videos, photos, audio files,presentations, webpages, and many other types of business documents areall examples of unstructured data contributing to this increase inunstructured data prominence.

SUMMARY

As disclosed herein, a computer implemented method for protectingindividual data elements within an unstructured dataset includesidentifying a data element within the unstructured dataset requiringaccess control, encrypting the data element within the unstructureddataset, storing a decryption key and access control informationcorresponding to the dataset at an access controller, andcryptographically binding the encrypted data element to metadata thatidentifies the access controller. The method may additionally includedetecting an access attempt to the dataset, and determining whether theaccess attempt is acceptable according to the access controlinformation. If the access attempt is acceptable, the method may furtherinclude allowing the access attempt. If the access attempt is notacceptable, the method may further include denying the access attempt. Acomputer program product and computer system corresponding to the methodare also disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an access control system inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting an access control method in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of components of a computing system inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

When a dataset is encrypted, it is done at the dataset level. If anunstructured dataset has only two protected elements, as a protectionmechanism, the entire data set is encrypted in a blanket encryptionmechanism. When said dataset is decrypted and copied, or moved to adifferent location, it may not be necessary for all encryptionattributes to be moved or copied along with it. Embodiments of thepresent invention provide a mechanism for protecting sensitive dataelements in an unstructured data format throughout the life cycle ofsaid data elements, regardless of whether the data elements or moved orcopied, etc.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference tothe Figures. Implementation of embodiments of the invention may take avariety of forms, and exemplary implementation details are discussedsubsequently with reference to the Figures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an access control system 100 inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention. Asdepicted, access control system 100 includes TDE controller 110, cloudobject storage 120, network 130, and data lake 140. Access controlsystem 100 may enable improved control over access to protectedunstructured data elements.

TDE controller 110 can be responsible for creating Trusted Data Elements(TDE) in a protected table. A trusted data element is an encrypted dataelement of an unstructured data store. In at least some embodiments, atrusted data element is encapsulated and cryptographically bound to metadata that can be used at the time of consumption to determine theentitlement based on the user. For example, if an unstructured datastore has an element (SSN), a corresponding trusted data element may becreated for the SSN. This TDE corresponding to the SSN can only beunlocked by the TDE controller using cryptographically bound keys. In atleast some embodiments, a TDE is an encrypted data element pluscorresponding metadata. The TDE may be encrypted using a specific key,and required instructions on how to open and identify the TDE areincluded in the metadata. In at least some embodiments, at data target,TDE controller 110 is configured to open up a TDE and examine a userentitlement to determine whether a user is entitled to access or not. Inat least some embodiments, TDEs are created only for confidentialelements that need to be protected. In at least some embodiments, alluser access to the TDEs is facilitated via TDE controller 110. TDEcontroller 110 may be configured to leverage logic elements, keymaterial, and policy, and may additionally dynamically update policy torevoke user access to data.

In at least some embodiments, TDE controller 110 protects a data elementvia a unique access control mechanism that enables access to alwaysremain with the TDEs, regardless of where they may be sent. TDE securitystays with the elements as metadata whether they are copied, duplicated,copied, or sent as attachments, etc. In embodiments as described, accessto the TDEs is facilitated through the TDE controller only; in otherwords, the TDE controller receives a request to access a TDE dataelement, and determines whether the user has access to the TDE accordingto the user's entitlements.

Cloud object storage 120 can be a computer data storage architecturethat manages data as objects, as opposed to other storage architectureslike file systems which manage data as file hierarchies or block storagewhich manages data as blocks within sectors and tracks. In at least someembodiments, an object within cloud object storage 120 includes dataitself, a variable amount of corresponding metadata, and a globallyunique identifier. In at least some embodiments, cloud object storage120 is implemented at multiple levels, such as the device level(object-storage level), the system level, at a cloud service level, andthe interface level. In each implementation, cloud object storage 120may enable capabilities not addressed by other storage architectures,such as data-management functions like data replication and datadistribution at object-level granularity. In general, cloud objectstorage 120 can be any storage architecture in which data is stored andmanaged as objects.

Network 130 can be, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN) such as the Internet, or a combination of the two, andinclude wired, wireless, or fiber optics connections. In general,network 143 can be any combination of connections and protocols thatwill support communications between TDE controller 110, cloud objectstorage 120, and data lake 140.

Data lake 140 can be a system or repository of data stored in a naturalor raw format, such as object blobs or files. In at least someembodiments, data lake 140 is a single store of data including rawcopies of source system data, sensor data, social data, etc., andtransformed data used for tasks such as reporting, visualization,advanced analytics, and machine learning. Data lake 140 may additionallyinclude structured data from relational databases, semi-structured data,unstructured data, and binary data. In some embodiments, data lake 140is established on premises within an organizations data centers; inother embodiments, data lake 140 is established in the cloud.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting an access control method 200 inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention. Asdepicted, access control method 200 includes identifying (210) one ormore data elements within an unstructured dataset that require accesscontrol, encrypting (220) the one or more data elements, storing (230)the decryption key and corresponding access control information at anaccess controller, cryptographically binding (240) the encrypted dataelement to metadata that identifies the access controller, receiving(250) an access request from a user attempting to access the dataset,determining (260) whether access requirements are met, denying (270)access, and allowing (280) access. Access control method 200 may enableincreased access security with respect to unstructured data elements.

Identifying (210) one or more data elements within an unstructureddataset that require access control may include receiving a datasetcomprising one or more data elements. In some embodiments, the receiveddataset may comprise entirely of unstructured data. In otherembodiments, the received dataset includes a combination of structuredand unstructured data elements. In at least some embodiments,identifying (210) one or more data elements within an unstructureddataset includes identifying data elements within the unstructureddataset that include or correspond to protected or sensitive information(personal information, social security numbers, credit card information,etc.).

Encrypting (220) the one or more data elements may include leveragingany number of known encryption techniques to encrypt the identified dataelements, thereby protecting the information. Generally, encrypting(220) the one or more data elements refers to the process of encodingthe information in the data elements by converting the plaintext into analternative ciphertext via the use of an encryption key. Encrypting(220) the one or more data elements may additionally include generatinga set of access information corresponding to the encrypted dataelements. In at least some embodiments, the access information indicatesa set of conditions a user must meet before being given access to theencrypted data elements.

Storing (230) the decryption key and corresponding access controlinformation at an access controller may include identifying a controllerconfigured to manage access to the identified data elements. Inembodiments where a controller is not assigned, storing (230) thedecryption key includes assigning a controller to manage all access tothe identified data elements. The assigned controller may be configuredto manage any and all access to the data elements to which it isassigned, including the previously identified data elements. In someembodiments, storing (230) the decryption key and corresponding accesscontrol information includes storing necessary information fordecrypting and accessing the identified data elements at a datacontroller such that said data controller may ultimately manage allaccess to the data elements.

Cryptographically binding (240) the encrypted data element to metadatathat identifies the access controller may include leveraging any numberof cryptographic binding techniques to associate the encrypted dataelement with the corresponding access controller. The data element andmetadata are cryptographically bound using industry standard AES256using data encryption keys that are all user defined and not generateddynamically. These keys are stored in keystores and protected internallyin the key hierarchy.

Receiving (250) an access request from a user attempting to access thedataset may include receiving a notification or an indication from acomputing system that a user is attempting to access one of the one ormore identified data elements. In at least some embodiments, a userrequests access to a data element or dataset directly via thecontroller. In other embodiments, a user may request access to the dataelement or dataset via an external resource. In said embodiments, saidexternal resource or system is configured to notify the controller ofthe access request.

Determining (260) whether access requirements are met may includeanalyzing the user's credentials to determine whether the user meetscriteria required to access the data element. In embodiments where theaccess attempt is received directly via the controller, the controlleritself extracts user access information. In other embodiments where theaccess attempt is executed via an external system or resource, thecontroller may be configured to query said external system or resourcefor the user information necessary to validate the user. In yet otherembodiments, the user access information may be provided simultaneouslywith the user's access attempt. If it is determined that the user doesnot meet the access requirements (260, no branch), the method continuesby denying (270) access. If it is determined that the user does meet theaccess requirements (260, yes branch), the method continues by allowing(280) access.

Denying (270) access may include taking measures to prevent the userfrom accessing the requested data element or dataset. In embodimentswherein the access attempt has occurred directly via the controller,denying (270) access includes directly denying the user from accessingthe data element or dataset. In embodiments wherein the access attempthas occurred on an external system or resource, denying (270) accessincludes sending a notification or instruction to said external systemor resource indicating that the user is to be denied access to the dataelement. In general, denying (270) access may include any steps thatultimately result in the user's inability to access the data element ordataset. In some embodiments, denying (270) access may include onlydisplaying an encrypted format to a user. Consider an example where adata custodian attempts to access a protected data element in anunstructured format. The data controller would identify the user as adata custodian, determine that as a data custodian, said user has onlylimited access rights, and subsequently either denies the user accessentirely, or displays only the encrypted values to the user.

Allowing (280) access may include taking measures to enable the user toaccess the requested data element or dataset. In embodiments wherein theaccess attempt has occurred directly via the controller, allowing (280)access may include directly enabling the user to access the data elementor dataset via an interface associated with the controller. Inembodiments wherein the access attempt has occurred on an externalsystem or resource, allowing (280) access may include sending anotification or instruction to said external system or resourceindicating that the user is to be allowed access to the data element ordataset. In general, allowing (280) access may include any steps thatultimately result in the user's ability to access the data element ordataset. Consider an example where a user deemed the data owner wants toaccess a protected data element in an unstructured format. The datacontroller determines the entitlement of the data owner, and displaysthe actual values to the data owner by decrypting the data elementaccording to the encryption information stored in the metadata.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of components of computing system 110 inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Itshould be appreciated that FIG. 3 provides only an illustration of oneimplementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to theenvironments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Manymodifications to the depicted environment may be made.

As depicted, the computer 300 includes communications fabric 302, whichprovides communications between computer processor(s) 304, memory 306,persistent storage 308, communications unit 312, and input/output (I/O)interface(s) 314. Communications fabric 302 can be implemented with anyarchitecture designed for passing data and/or control informationbetween processors (such as microprocessors, communications and networkprocessors, etc.), system memory, peripheral devices, and any otherhardware components within a system. For example, communications fabric302 can be implemented with one or more buses.

Memory 306 and persistent storage 308 are computer-readable storagemedia. In this embodiment, memory 306 includes random access memory(RAM) 316 and cache memory 318. In general, memory 306 can include anysuitable volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage media.

One or more programs may be stored in persistent storage 308 for accessand/or execution by one or more of the respective computer processors304 via one or more memories of memory 306. In this embodiment,persistent storage 308 includes a magnetic hard disk drive.Alternatively, or in addition to a magnetic hard disk drive, persistentstorage 308 can include a solid state hard drive, a semiconductorstorage device, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM), flash memory, or any other computer-readable storagemedia that is capable of storing program instructions or digitalinformation.

The media used by persistent storage 308 may also be removable. Forexample, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage 308.Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, andsmart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto anothercomputer-readable storage medium that is also part of persistent storage308.

Communications unit 312, in these examples, provides for communicationswith other data processing systems or devices. In these examples,communications unit 312 includes one or more network interface cards.Communications unit 312 may provide communications through the use ofeither or both physical and wireless communications links.

I/O interface(s) 314 allows for input and output of data with otherdevices that may be connected to computer 300. For example, I/Ointerface 314 may provide a connection to external devices 320 such as akeyboard, keypad, a touch screen, and/or some other suitable inputdevice. External devices 320 can also include portable computer-readablestorage media such as, for example, thumb drives, portable optical ormagnetic disks, and memory cards. Software and data used to practiceembodiments of the present invention can be stored on such portablecomputer-readable storage media and can be loaded onto persistentstorage 308 via I/O interface(s) 314. I/O interface(s) 314 also connectto a display 322.

Display 322 provides a mechanism to display data to a user and may be,for example, a computer monitor.

The programs described herein are identified based upon the applicationfor which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of theinvention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular programnomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus theinvention should not be limited to use solely in any specificapplication identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a computer, or other programmable data processing apparatusto produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computerreadable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readablestorage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable dataprocessing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the computer readable storage medium havinginstructions stored therein comprises an article of manufactureincluding instructions which implement aspects of the function/actspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be accomplished as one step, executed concurrently,substantially concurrently, in a partially or wholly temporallyoverlapping manner, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in thereverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will alsobe noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts orcarry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles ofthe embodiment, the practical application or technical improvement overtechnologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinaryskill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer implemented for protecting individualdata elements within an unstructured dataset, the method comprising:identifying a data element within the unstructured dataset requiringaccess control; encrypting the data element within the unstructureddataset; storing a decryption key and access control informationcorresponding to the dataset at an access controller; andcryptographically binding the encrypted data element to metadata thatidentifies the access controller.
 2. The computer implemented method ofclaim 1, further comprising detecting an access attempt to the dataset;and determining whether the access attempt is acceptable according tothe access control information.
 3. The computer implemented method ofclaim 2, further comprising denying the access attempt responsive todetermining the access attempt is not acceptable according to the accesscontrol information.
 4. The computer implemented method of claim 2,further comprising allowing the access attempt responsive to determiningthe access attempt is acceptable according to the access controlinformation.
 5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein theidentified data element corresponds to a data element containingconfidential information.
 6. The computer implemented method of claim 2,further comprising notifying an external system to allow access to thedata element responsive to determining the access attempt is acceptableaccording to the access control information.
 7. The computer implementedmethod of claim 2, further comprising notifying an external system todeny access to the data element responsive to determining the accessattempt is not acceptable according to the access control information.8. A computer program product for, the computer program productcomprising: one or more computer readable storage media and programinstructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media,the program instructions comprising instructions to: identify a dataelement within the unstructured dataset requiring access control;encrypt the data element within the unstructured dataset; store adecryption key and access control information corresponding to thedataset at an access controller; and cryptographically bind theencrypted data element to metadata that identifies the accesscontroller.
 9. The computer program product of claim 8, furthercomprising instructions to detect an access attempt to the dataset; anddetermine whether the access attempt is acceptable according to theaccess control information.
 10. The computer program product of claim 9,further comprising instructions to deny the access attempt responsive todetermining the access attempt is not acceptable according to the accesscontrol information.
 11. The computer program product of claim 9,further comprising instructions to allow the access attempt responsiveto determining the access attempt is acceptable according to the accesscontrol information.
 12. The computer program product of claim 8,wherein the identified data element corresponds to a data elementcontaining confidential information.
 13. The computer program product ofclaim 9, further comprising instructions to notify an external system toallow access to the data element responsive to determining the accessattempt is acceptable according to the access control information. 14.The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising instructionsto notify an external system to deny access to the data elementresponsive to determining the access attempt is not acceptable accordingto the access control information.
 15. A computer system for, thecomputer system comprising: one or more computer processors; one or morecomputer-readable storage media; program instructions stored on thecomputer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the oneor more processors, the program instructions comprising instructions to:identify a data element within the unstructured dataset requiring accesscontrol; encrypt the data element within the unstructured dataset; storea decryption key and access control information corresponding to thedataset at an access controller; and cryptographically bind theencrypted data element to metadata that identifies the accesscontroller.
 16. The computer system of claim 15, further comprisinginstructions to detect an access attempt to the dataset; and determinewhether the access attempt is acceptable according to the access controlinformation.
 17. The computer system of claim 16, further comprisinginstructions to deny the access attempt responsive to determining theaccess attempt is not acceptable according to the access controlinformation.
 18. The computer system of claim 16, further comprisinginstructions to allow the access attempt responsive to determining theaccess attempt is acceptable according to the access controlinformation.
 19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the identifieddata element corresponds to a data element containing confidentialinformation.
 20. The computer system of claim 16, further comprisinginstructions to notify an external system to allow access to the dataelement responsive to determining the access attempt is acceptableaccording to the access control information.